Sami and Sonny found the information in Nick and Gabi's room to clear Will. Nick threatened Sami to return the $30,000 that he knew she had stolen from his room. Vargas threatened to reveal Nicole's feelings for Eric to keep her in line. E.J. asked Justin to help destroy Stefano.

At the Horton Town Square, an unidentified man handed Vargas an envelope that was filled with three stacks of cash. Vargas said that he would count the money later, pointedly adding that he knew where the man lived.

In Kristen's office at DiMera Enterprises, Brady received a business call from a potential client, and Kristen seemed impressed when she heard him greet the caller in Chinese. Brady jokingly whispered that he was saying that he and the most beautiful woman in the world had just had sex on her desk. "Sorry, my love. Nothing's gonna stop me from getting what I want -- not even you," Kristen muttered after Brady left the room.

When Brady returned a short time later, he convinced Kristen to clear her schedule, claiming that he didn't want to spend the day without her. Kristen guessed that Brady was actually worried that John might visit her again. Kristen reminded Brady that she had spent a lot of time and money on therapy so that she could forget about the past, and she assured him that she had no desire to relive it. Kristen claimed that she wanted to focus solely on her future with Brady.

In a secluded section of Horton Town Square, John stuffed the baseball jersey into his briefcase. "So now I know. I can stop Kristen from destroying Brady," John muttered before closing the briefcase. John started to walk away, but Roman stopped him and demanded to know what he was doing. Dismissively stating that he wasn't in the mood to talk to Roman, John abruptly walked away, but Roman followed him.

At Common Grounds, Roman chastised John for the way that he had been treating Marlena lately. "She loves Brady like a son. She's had your back for twenty years. Now you're gonna let somebody like Kristen destroy that kind of relationship? Just how dumb are you, John?" Roman asked incredulously. Roman insisted that John needed to start to treat Marlena with the respect that she deserved.

John wondered if Roman was going to seize the opportunity to steal Marlena away from him. John reminded Roman that there was an unspoken rule about hitting on another man's wife, and that there was also an unspoken rule about taking advantage of a woman when she was feeling vulnerable. Roman countered that there were also rules about being a hypocrite and making unfounded accusations.

John said that one irrefutable fact was that Roman had never let go of Marlena or forgotten about what they had once shared. "Never have, never will. How about you, John? Have you forgotten it?" Roman pointedly asked before walking away. A short time later, Brady entered the coffeehouse. When he spotted John, Brady considered leaving, but he decided to confront John instead.

John explained that the baseball jersey had been his attempt to remind Kristen of the woman whom she had once been, adding that she had claimed that he had killed that woman. Brady agreed, speculating that John's rejection had driven Kristen over the edge. John insisted that Brady didn't know the whole story. John blamed himself for failing to realize just how badly Kristen's miscarriage had broken her spirit.

"The miscarriage left Kristen unable to ever have any more children, and that was devastating because...she felt that a child would be the one thing that could fix everything that had gone wrong between us. And she felt she lost everything. And after that, she was never the same," John explained. Brady thanked John for his honesty and abruptly exited the coffeehouse.

At the Horton Town Square, Kristen glanced up from her phone and found Ciara standing in front of her. Ciara introduced herself and explained that her friend's mother had given her permission to talk to Kristen for a few minutes. "Oh. Well, who would do such a thing? I mean, for all she knows, I could be a...pirate. Aye!" Kristen jokingly stated, closing one eye to mimic the stereotypical appearance of a pirate.

Ciara matter-of-factly stated that everyone knew that Kristen was marrying Brady, who simply would not marry a pirate. Changing the subject, Ciara admitted that she had gotten into trouble at school earlier that day because of Kristen. Taken aback, Kristen asked Ciara to elaborate, simultaneously retrieving a notepad from her purse so that she could write a letter to Ciara's teacher.

Kristen said that she knew how it felt to be blamed for things that she hadn't actually done. Ciara admitted that she missed her father, which had caused her to do some bad things. Kristen advised Ciara to tell her teacher that, since anyone with half of a brain would understand that little girls needed their daddies.

Ciara speculated that Bo had chosen to stay away from Salem because she was too much trouble, but Kristen insisted that he loved Ciara more than anyone else in the entire world. Meanwhile, Brady eavesdropped nearby. Ciara revealed that she had a brother who had died a few years earlier, and she said that he had never caused any trouble. Kristen said that her sister, who had also died, had been the same way.

Ciara retrieved an envelope from her backpack, explaining that she had gotten into trouble because she had been decorating the envelope so that she could give it to Brady as a present. Ciara added that the envelope contained a picture. As Brady joined Kristen and Ciara, Ciara gave the envelope to Kristen and urged her to open it.

At the DiMera mansion, Sami feigned innocence when Stefano suggested that she had been trying to ask him for a favor. Sami insisted that, while she was worried about Will's situation, she would never ask Stefano to commit a crime in order to help Will. "Mm-hmm. Well, as you say," Stefano replied with a shrug. Stefano started to walk away, but Sami stopped him.

Sami conceded that if Stefano offered to help Will, that would be another matter entirely. Stefano chuckled and urged Sami to get to the point. Stefano guessed that Will wanted him to get rid of the evidence that proved that Will had shot E.J., but Sami clarified that it had been her idea to ask for Stefano's help. "Ah, well, what -- let me get this straight, then. If I were to do this, then the person that would owe me...is you," Stefano summarized, turning his attention to Sami, who confirmed his assessment of the situation.

"Samantha, the only thing that you would owe me...is gratitude," Stefano sweetly stated. Noting that Sami was E.J.'s fiancée and the mother of Stefano's grandchildren, Stefano agreed to help her. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sami summarized that Nick would take her grandchild away from her unless someone stopped him. "Consider it done," Stefano said, placing a hand on Will's shoulder.

Will nervously thanked Stefano, who added that there was one thing that he wanted Will to do for him. Will held his breath and waited for Stefano to elaborate. Stefano instructed Will to work on his chess game, paying particular attention to the untapped potential of his rooks and bishops. Will laughed and promised to do so. Stefano said that he was looking forward to the next game against Will. After Stefano left, Will breathed a sigh of relief, shocked that Stefano had actually agreed to help him.

At the Brady Pub, Lucas thanked Sonny for agreeing to help Sami gain information about Nick's daily activities. Sonny hoped that Stefano would agree to help Will, since Sonny wasn't sure what Will would do otherwise. Sonny received a phone call from Adrienne, who informed him that Maggie, Nick, and Gabi had recently returned to the Kiriakis mansion. Adrienne promised to alert Sonny if Gabi and Nick left the mansion later.

After ending the call, Sonny updated Lucas, who feared that Nick and Gabi's presence at the mansion would jeopardize Sami's plan. Lucas wondered if Sonny was sure that Adrienne wasn't going to mind acting as their mole. Sonny nodded and explained that Adrienne and Justin weren't particularly fond of Nick. Sonny added that, while Adrienne didn't know the exact details of the plan, she knew that he would do anything for Will.

Lucas suspected that everyone knew that Sonny would do anything for Will, prompting Sonny to wonder if Lucas was including himself in that observation. "What do you mean, man? Yeah. I mean, it took me a while to come around, but hopefully, you won't hold that against me. I never wanted my son to be alone. I wanted him to have someone in his life who loves him, and, uh, that person happens to be you, so I'm cool with that," Lucas assured Sonny.

In Nick and Gabi's bedroom at the Kiriakis mansion, Nick deleted some sensitive work-related files that he had been storing on his laptop. Nick noted that Gabi seemed to be upset about something, and she admitted that his earlier prediction that they would never be able to get along with Will for the baby's sake had bothered her. Nick claimed that he would do everything that he could possibly do to make things work with Will.

Gabi questioned Nick's sincerity, but he insisted that she had nothing to worry about. Nick hugged Gabi and promised that they were going to have a great life together. Gabi muttered that life would be even better once the baby was born, but she still seemed secretly concerned about Nick's earnestness. Changing the subject, Gabi announced that she had been thinking about doing some shopping, since she didn't have to work that day.

Nick, who was also free for the rest of the day, agreed to accompany Gabi. While Gabi searched for her shopping list, Nick received a phone call from Vargas, who ordered Nick to meet him at their usual location right away. After ending the call, Nick claimed that he needed to attend a business meeting that had completely slipped his mind earlier, and he abruptly excused himself, leaving a disappointed Gabi behind.

Back at the Brady Pub, Sonny received another phone call from Adrienne, who reported that Nick had just left the Kiriakis mansion. Lucas called Sami, who was still at the DiMera mansion, to give her the news, stressing that they still needed to find a way to deal with Maggie and Gabi. Sami asked Lucas to take Allie over to Victor's house to visit Maggie, and she promised to meet them there.

After ending the call, Sami recapped the conversation for Will and E.J. Will agreed to get Gabi out of the Kiriakis mansion, and he and Sami quickly rushed off to take care of their respective missions. "So, let's see -- you have a search-and-destroy mission to take care of at the police station, then there's my wedding [and] Kristen's wedding. You have Cecily to play around with in Singapore. So that should keep you quite busy for the foreseeable future, shouldn't it? Excellent," E.J. mused as he stared at Stefano's portrait.

E.J. called someone and asked for some funds to be placed in a special account. E.J. stressed that the funds needed to be sent to the DiMera Limited account, not the DiMera Enterprises operating account. Later, E.J. received a phone call from someone -- presumably the same person whom he had spoken to earlier -- and he sighed as he realized that he had forgotten that the market had already closed for the day.

"Okay. It doesn't really matter. I mean, you know, it will take me a couple of weeks, but we're on the verge of making this happen," E.J. cryptically stated. Meanwhile, Roman entered the room and wondered what E.J. was talking about. E.J. said that it was none of Roman's business. Roman countered that everything that E.J. did was Roman's business, since E.J. was marrying Sami, which neither party had bothered to tell Roman about.

Roman speculated that Sami had neglected to tell him about the engagement because she knew that marrying E.J. would be a stupid idea. E.J. started to give Roman a promise, but Roman interrupted and advised E.J. to save his breath. Roman said that he had received plenty of promises from the DiMeras over the years, and he knew exactly what those promises were worth. Roman abruptly exited the mansion, stating that he would talk to Sami later.

At the Brady Pub, Will called Gabi and asked her to meet him there so that they could talk about something important. After ending the call, Will placed another call to Sami and reported that Gabi would soon be leaving the Kiriakis mansion. Later, Gabi arrived at the pub, and Will wondered how she was doing. Gabi said that she had finally started to believe that there was a little person living inside of her.

Gabi recalled that she had been lying next to Nick the previous night, with her stomach pressed against his back, and he had been able to feel the baby kicking. Noticing Will's reaction, Gabi realized that she probably shouldn't have told him that. "No, no, it -- it's okay. Um...uh, you know, I -- I remember when I first felt her kick. It just made it so real for me, you know? It made everything different. I mean, I guess I just realized that, you know, there's a little person in there that we made together, and -- I don't know. I guess I just wish it was happening to me," Will admitted, referring to the special moments of the pregnancy that he was missing out on.

Gabi wondered if it would help if she assured Will that she was really, really happy. Will observed that Gabi seemed to be glowing. Will promised that he would always be there for Gabi and his daughter if they ever needed or wanted anything. Surprised, Gabi admitted that she had originally suspected that Will had asked to meet her at the pub so that he could try to pressure her into giving him access to his daughter.

"Everybody says I'm -- I'm so in love with Nick, and that I'll do whatever he says. And I do love him. I -- we love each other, but he just wants to see me happy, and I've made it very, very clear that I will not be happy unless you are a part of little Arianna's life. You don't have to worry about that. You have my word," Gabi said. Hiding his skepticism, Will forced a smile and silently nodded.

In a secluded section of Horton Town Square, Vargas complained about the amount of time that he had been waiting for Nick to arrive. Annoyed, Nick insisted that he had a life and couldn't be expected to cater to Vargas' every demand. Vargas wondered why, but the question confused Nick. "Tell me why you have a life," Vargas pointedly clarified.

Nick admitted that he would be dead if it weren't for Vargas, who was the only reason that Nick had survived long enough to make an incredible life for himself outside of prison. "In prison, the only thing a man has is his word. Trouble is, the scum that you meet on the inside -- their word's worth nothing, right? I was a man of my word. I told you that I'd look out for you in there, and I did. Now it's your turn to step up -- and you better do it," Vargas said as he handed Nick the envelope.

Vargas explained that the envelope contained thirty thousand dollars, and he said that he expected Nick to triple that amount. Vargas promised that as long as Nick did exactly what he was instructed to do, there wouldn't be any trouble for him. Nick said that he would do his best, but he added that he wasn't Warren Buffet. Unsatisfied with Nick's response, Vargas insisted that Nick was going to do whatever he had to do to triple the money.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Lucas, Sami, and Allie greeted Maggie, who had prepared a large plate of snacks in anticipation of their arrival. After some small talk, Sami suggested that it might be helpful for Allie to visit Maggie's garden, since Allie was working on a special project at school. Maggie asked for more details, but Sami couldn't think of anything to say, so she claimed that Lucas was the person who had all of the pertinent information about the project.

Lucas quickly explained that Allie's class was studying botany, and he suggested that seeing the specific parts of the flowers in Maggie's garden, such as the stamens and pistils, would be more educational than simply reading about them in a book. Maggie said that she would be delighted to show Allie the garden, and they started to leave.

Sami claimed that she had not yet eaten anything that day, and she wondered if it would be okay for her to stay behind and eat some of the snacks that Maggie had made for everyone. After urging Sami to help herself, Maggie and Allie left the room. Lucas quietly told Sami that it was a good thing that one of them had stayed awake during their biology classes.

"If I had stayed awake in biology class, we wouldn't have Will. But we do, thank God, and now we have to help him," Sami whispered. After promising to send Sami a text message if Maggie returned to the mansion prematurely, Lucas followed Maggie and Allie out to the garden.

As Sami started to ascend the stairs in the foyer, Sonny entered the mansion. Sami insisted that she didn't want to involve Sonny, but he pointed out that, unlike her, he actually knew the layout of the house. Sonny wondered if Sami really believed that she would have time to determine which one of the seventeen rooms on the second floor was Nick and Gabi's room without Sonny's help.

The statistic amazed Sami, who conceded Sonny's point and agreed to let him help her. Sonny led Sami to the correct room, where they frantically started to search for the evidence. Sonny found Nick's laptop, and he noticed a file on the hard drive that was labeled B.D. Sami speculated that the initials might stand for baby daddy, so Sonny opened the file. Will's voice filled the room, confirming Sami's suspicion.

Sonny deleted the file, but Sami suspected that Nick had probably hidden another copy elsewhere. Sonny advised Sami to look for a flash drive, since that was the most likely place for Nick to hide a backup copy of the recording. As he and Sami continued to search, Sonny spotted a locked box on the nightstand. Sonny searched for something that he could use to pick the lock.

Meanwhile, in the hallway, Nick approached the bedroom door and called out for Gabi, announcing that he was home.

E.J. was working at his desk at Countess Wilhemina when Will walked in. Startled, E.J. asked Will why he was not keeping Gabi from returning to the Kiriakis mansion. Will explained that Gabi had a gift certificate to the spa and would be busy for hours. Will was nervous, but E.J. assured Will that Stefano and Sami were working to obtain the evidence.

Will was worried that someone would get in trouble, but E.J. assured Will that he was doing the right thing because Will was looking out for his family. E.J. told Will that he was family and that E.J. would have his back. Will confessed that he was worried that Stefano would push Sami for a favor, but E.J. promised that he would deal with Stefano if Stefano insisted on payback for stealing the evidence.

In the Kiriakis mansion, Sami and Sonny were frantically searching Nick and Gabi's bedroom when they heard Nick walking down the hallway outside the door. Adrienne stopped Nick at the door and asked him to help her downstairs, but Nick answered that he needed to take care of something first. Nick opened the door to his room, but neither Sami nor Sonny was in sight, much to Adrienne's relief.

Once Adrienne left, Nick grabbed the wooden box and opened it with a key. From the closet, Sami and Sonny listened. Nick opened his briefcase and put the envelope of money from Vargas inside it. When Nick crossed to the closet, Sami and Sonny shrank against the wall. As Nick reached for the handle to the closet door, a text message beeped on Nick's phone. With a sigh, Nick closed the briefcase and left his room.

Downstairs in the Kiriakis mansion, Adrienne pushed a heavy box through the foyer and muttered about delaying Nick. Nick ran down the stairs and asked Adrienne if he could help her later. Adrienne explained that the box was a surprise for Nick and Gabi and that she needed to move the box into the closet before Gabi returned home. With a sigh, Nick picked up the box and carried it to the closet for Adrienne.

In Nick and Gabi's room, Sonny and Sami rushed out of the closet and over to the dresser. Sonny opened the box and grabbed a flash drive from the box. When Sami praised fate for saving them, Sonny explained that he had texted Nick to divert him and he had texted Adrienne to distract Nick and buy Sonny some time until he could get to the coffeehouse to meet Nick.

Sami rooted through the wooden box and lamented that there were so many flash drives inside of it. Sonny suggested that Sami take the flash drives back to the office, and he would return them to the box later. Relieved, Sami hugged Sonny. Sonny rushed out of the room to meet with Nick as Sami shoved the flash drives into her purse. As Sami turned to leave, she stopped and stared at the briefcase.

Unable to resist, Sami opened the briefcase and looked at the envelope of cash. With a smirk, Sami took the money and said, "Let him sweat." Sami went downstairs and ran into Adrienne, who was pacing in the foyer nervously. Adrienne pressed Sami for details about the break-in, but Sami declined to tell Adrienne what was going on. When Sami noted how much she like Sonny and that he was good with Will, Adrienne agreed.

With a smirk, Adrienne noted that she did not like to agree with Sami about anything.

Sami asked Adrienne to tell Lucas and Allie that she had returned to the office. Adrienne nodded. Sami thanked Adrienne for helping her because it helped Will.

At the coffeehouse, Marlena asked John about his fight with Roman. When John remained quiet, Marlena turned to leave. John stopped Marlena and told her that he was glad that she was there. John reached in his backpack and pulled out a key. Disappointed, Marlena asked John if the key was the reason he was glad to see her. When John nodded yes, Marlena scowled and urged John to talk to her.

John verbally pushed Marlena away, and Marlena told John that she was tired of being treated poorly by him. Angry, John suggested that Marlena visit Roman. Nodding, Marlena noted that she would. Across the coffeehouse, a frowning Victor surveyed the scene. Victor called John over to his table and asked to talk.

Across the room, Sonny rushed into the coffeehouse and jumped into a chair as Nick walked in. When Nick asked what was wrong, Sonny explained that Will was under a lot of stress. Shrugging, Nick asked what Sonny wanted. When Sonny asked Nick to assure Will that he would be a part of the baby's life, Nick was annoyed. Nick reminded Sonny that visitation was Gabi's decision. Sonny countered that Nick had influence with Gabi.

Shaking his head, Nick asked Sonny why he was asking about visitation again. Sonny said he was concerned by how Nick had acted reasonable in front of Gabi but then had threatened Will and Sonny behind Gabi's back. Gabi called Nick's cell phone and asked him to meet her at the spa. After chatting with Gabi, Nick hung up his phone and sighed. Nick explained to Sonny that he did not care how the stress was affecting Will.

As Nick rose to leave, he noted that he only cared about Gabi and his baby. Once Nick was gone, Sonny muttered, "It's not your baby, you son of a bitch." Sonny hoped aloud that Sami had found the confession.

Sami rushed over to the Countess W offices to meet with E.J. Sami breathlessly informed E.J. and Will that she had grabbed all the flash drives and that Sonny was keeping Nick occupied at the coffeehouse. Sami split up the flash drives so that the three of them could search them more quickly on their laptops. As E.J. checked the contents of the first USB key, he cried out that he had found something.

When Sami and Will looked at E.J. expectantly, E.J. noted that it was a false alarm. E.J. copied the Mad World Fall line information from the USB drive to his laptop as Will and Sami returned to their computers. Sonny arrived at the Countess W offices just as Will found the file with his confession. Relieved, Sonny gathered up the flash drives and noted that he had a small window of opportunity to return the drives to the wooden box before Gabi and Nick returned from the spa.

After Sonny left, Will thanked E.J. and Sami for helping him. Excited, Will said that he was going to walk by the river and throw the flash drive into the water. Sami stopped Will at the door and said, "I love your boyfriend!" Laughing, Will agreed.

After Will left, E.J. and Sami laughed and hugged one another. As E.J. kissed Sami and pushed her onto the desktop, he knocked her purse over, and the envelope of money she had stolen fell onto the floor. With a raised eyebrow, E.J. noted, "You have some explaining to do."

In the town square cafe, Ciara gave Kristen the envelope with the blackmail photo as Brady approached the table and sat down with them. "I hope you like it. I hope you both like it," Ciara said. Kristen opened the envelope, but before she could pull out the photo, Hope ran up to the table. Hope noted that she was not aware that Kristen and Ciara were acquainted. Kristen explained that she had just met Ciara.

Hope told Ciara that they needed to talk at home, but a frustrated Ciara refused. When Hope mentioned that Ciara's teacher had called, Ciara reluctantly agreed to go home. Once Ciara was out of earshot, Kristen apologized and explained that Ciara had approached her and told her that Ciara had been in trouble at school because of Kristen. Kristen swore that she had not intended to interfere in Ciara's life.

After Hope left, Brady asked Kristen what had happened. When Kristen noted that Ciara had approached her, Brady added that Ciara had talked to him earlier about Kristen. Shrugging, Kristen suggested that the answer was in the envelope. When Kristen opened the envelope, she pulled out a homemade card from Ciara. Kristen was confused, but Brady noted that the card appeared to be for Bo. With a shrug Kristen theorized aloud that Ciara must have given her the wrong envelope.

When Brady asked Kristen about children, she admitted that though she had wanted to have kids, she had accepted that she would never have children. Uncomfortable, Kristen changed the subject and told Brady that she needed to leave. Brady nodded and checked his phone. As Kristen walked away, she stared at Brady and muttered, "I'm not going to let you stop me. I'm going to move forward."

Victor escorted John back to the Kiriakis mansion and asked him what his plan was for Brady and Kristen. John denied the accusation. Victor wondered aloud whether he should talk to Brady about John's plan. When John sighed, Victor noted that John did not want him to talk to Brady because Brady might believe that John was plotting against Kristen.

"We both want what's best for Brady," Victor said. John asked Victor to remain quiet. Victor noted that he had witnessed how John had treated Marlena, and that was a sign that John was working on a plan. John said that he had determined that Kristen still loved him. Victor was disgusted by the news. John explained that he would bed Kristen before the wedding so that Brady would see what kind of person Kristen was.

"Couldn't you do something less drastic than sleeping with her? Couldn't you just kill her?" Victor asked. "No, Victor. This is the only way," John said. Victor worried aloud that Brady would be blinded with rage. Shaking his head, John said that if Brady saw him in bed with Kristen that it would kill any love Brady had for Kristen.

With a sigh, Victor noted that Marlena would not forgive John if he slept with Kristen. "You're gonna lose her and Brady," Victor said. John agreed and noted that the only thing he cared about was severing Brady's ties to Kristen. "I know I may lose Marlena, but then again, I may have already lost her. But I have to save my son," John said softly.

When Sonny returned to the Kiriakis mansion, he found Adrienne waiting for him on the steps in the foyer. Adrienne informed Sonny that Nick was gone. Sonny asked Adrienne to delay Nick if he returned home so that Sonny could go upstairs. Sonny ran into Nick's room and replaced the flash drives in the wooden box on the dresser. As Sonny closed the lid, Adrienne texted him, and Sonny ran out of the room. Nick entered his bedroom and sat down at his laptop to work on Vargas' money scheme.

Sonny met with Will at the coffeehouse and said that he had been able to return the flash drives to Nick's room. With a grin, Will told Sonny that he had thrown the flash drive with his confession into the river.

At the Brady Pub, Ciara frantically looked through her backpack for the card she had made for Bo. Disappointed, Ciara pulled out paper and markers and started to create a new card. Hope expressed concern that Ciara had been distracted at school. Frowning, Ciara noted that she did not want to talk. Hope nodded then walked over to meet Marlena as she walked in the pub. Hope told Marlena that Ciara was upset about Bo's absence.

"It seems odd the way she is dealing with it," Hope said. Hope explained that Ciara did not want to talk about Bo and was instead preoccupied with Kristen. Marlena sat next to Ciara and asked if Ciara was interested in Kristen because she was a bride. Ciara said that unlike Marlena and Hope, she liked Kristen. Ciara explained that Kristen was nice to her.

Across the pub, Brady overheard Ciara as he entered the room, and then he left. Hope sent Ciara to the bar to order dessert. Marlena cautioned Hope that Ciara was stubborn like her parents. Hope and Marlena talked about John, and Marlena admitted that John had deliberately pushed her away and that she was beginning to agree that she was better off apart from John.

Outside the pub, Brady called someone and set up a meeting in the park. Brady met with a mysterious woman and asked her to execute a plan for him.

At the DiMera mansion, Kristen walked into the living room and found Stefano sitting in front of his chessboard. Kristen informed Stefano that she had spent the day with planning her wedding and plotting revenge. Raising an eyebrow, Stefano asked Kristen if she was having second thoughts. Kristen admitted that she had genuine affection for Brady but that it was not half as strong as her hatred for John. Kristen argued that she would be able to move on with her life once she had her revenge.

Kristen explained to Stefano that she had convinced John that she was still in love with him. Stefano chuckled. "I've thought this through, and it's the only way," Kristen said. Kristen explained that on her wedding day, Brady would find her in bed with John. Stefano was not amused. Kristen explained that John would believe that he was ruining her plans to marry Brady when in actuality, she would be ruining John's life.

Stefano cautioned Kristen that if she slept with John that she would lose Brady forever. Kristen noted that she did not want to break Brady's heart but it was necessary collateral damage to her plan. "I will do what must be done," Kristen said.

In Jennifer's office at the hospital, Abigail thanked Daniel for helping Cameron at the strip club. After Abigail left, Daniel instructed Jennifer to clear her schedule for the evening. He explained that Jennifer's favorite chef, Mark Fitkowski, had opened a pop-up restaurant in Salem, and Daniel had gotten a pair of the very scarce tickets to the opening that night. Jennifer was elated.

As Abigail passed by the nurses' station, she ran into Cameron. After Cameron asked if Abigail were free later, he kissed her passionately -- in full view of an approving Maxine. Cameron suggested that he and Abigail have dinner at the Brady Pub that night, followed by a walk on the waterfront. Abigail happily accepted.

Daniel and Jennifer walked up just then, and Daniel asked Cameron if he were available to consult on a case. As the men left together, Jennifer could tell that Abigail was excited about the evening.

The women were gone when the men returned to the nurses' station. As Daniel walked away, Maxine announced that there was a phone call for Cameron. "But you just authorized an increase on my credit line just last week," Cameron told the caller with obvious frustration, as Maxine overheard. When Cameron hung up, he explained to Maxine that he'd tried to order flowers for Abigail but his credit card had been declined.

Cameron looked in his wallet and realized he didn't even have enough cash for the dinner. Maxine tried to reassure Cameron that Abigail would understand if he was honest with her, but Cameron thought that he had to cancel the date to keep Abigail from feeling sorry for him.

At the Horton house, Jennifer and Abigail helped each other get ready for their respective dates. A nervous Abigail admitted that she was often anxious and self-conscious around Cameron. Jennifer reassured her daughter that those days were all in the past, and she would have a great time with Cameron.

Daniel called Jennifer from the hospital to let her know that he was running a little late. Jennifer confided that Abigail had been uncharacteristically nervous about her date with Cameron. As Daniel headed out of the hospital, Maxine stopped him. "This may be none of my business, but I think there's some things you should know," Maxine declared.

As he arrived at the Horton house, Cameron was trying to think of excuses to cancel his date with Abigail. Giving up, he knocked on the door, and Abigail answered. Before Cameron could say anything beyond "hi" to Abigail, Jennifer entered the foyer, and Daniel arrived shortly after that. Daniel announced that Jennifer had a surprise for Cameron and Abigail. A confused Jennifer played along, although she encouraged Daniel to reveal what it was.

Daniel explained about Mark Fitkowski's restaurant opening that night. "Your mother…wanted you two to have an amazing, chef-prepared, all-expenses-paid meal for your date tonight," Daniel declared, producing the tickets. A floored Abigail promised to get an autographed napkin from Chef Fitkowski for her mom. Cameron thanked Jennifer and Daniel profusely as he escorted Abigail out the door. "Daniel Jonas, what is the story behind my incredible generosity?" Jennifer demanded lightheartedly.

A little later, Daniel and Jennifer carried a pizza and some sodas into the living room, where Parker was waiting on the couch. After snatching a piece of pizza out of the box and taking a bite, Jennifer proclaimed, "I do think that was the most amazing and generous thing that you did for Abigail and Cameron, and I love you for that." The three of them settled under a blanket to watch a movie together.

At the restaurant, Chef Fitkowski described the evening's menu for Cameron and Abigail. After the chef returned to the kitchen, Abigail fed a piece of bread dipped in olive oil to Cameron. "So I was thinking -- what do you say, when we're done here, we come up with a special dessert all on our own?" Abigail asked.

As Eric and Abe entered the Brady Pub, Abe informed Eric that a private foundation wanted to invest new funds into Eric's prison-release program. Abe cautioned that the foundation first wanted to ensure that the program had been successful so far. He asked how things were working out with Vargas. Recalling how he'd witnessed Nicole and Vargas about to have sex, Eric admitted, "It's not exactly what I expected."

Eric clarified that he had great hopes for the future of the program -- and for Vargas. He added that the people who believed that it would be a smooth transition back into the "real world" for the inmates were wrong, because it took a lot of time and work. Abe called Eric out for being purposely vague, and noted that he had observed a tense moment between Vargas and Nicole. Eric shrugged it off as the result of the two working closely together. Abe promised to stop by the rectory later to show Eric what he'd received from the prospective donors.

At St. Luke's, Vargas called Nick to emphasize that he was in a hurry for Nick to triple his money. Nick bristled at what he deemed an unnecessary reminder. "Look, I went from one prison to another, and I am stuck here until you deliver. Do not disappoint me," Vargas warned -- just as Nicole appeared in the doorway. Vargas abruptly hung up.

Vargas was surprised that Nicole had returned to work. She explained that she and Father Eric had worked things out. Before Vargas could leave the room, Nicole stopped him to discuss the phone call she'd just overheard. She pronounced his sincere act for Father Eric "transparent," and asserted that the menacing Vargas she'd just overheard on the phone, threatening someone, was the real one. She warned that if Father Eric were slow to pick up on that, she would clue him in.

Vargas grabbed Nicole by the arm and demanded to know what she planned to tell Father Eric. "And think hard about what you're going to say, Nicole -- very hard," Vargas growled. Nicole asked if he were threatening her, but he maintained that he had no reason to do so because he hadn't done anything. He accused Nicole of intentionally trying to cause trouble. Nicole firmly asked Vargas to take his hand off of her. When Vargas asserted that Nicole was in love with Father Eric, she jerked her arm away.

"What do you think Father Eric's going to say when he finds out that the name you call out during sex is his?" Vargas taunted -- just as Eric returned to the office. Eric asked what was going on. Vargas and Nicole covered that they had just been discussing how to handle her return to work. Vargas promised that what had happened between him and Nicole would never happen again, and they would be nothing but professional from then on.

Nicole thanked Eric for giving her a second chance. As Vargas left the room, he and Nicole glared at each other. Eric asked Nicole if she were all right, and she merely reiterated what Vargas had said: "Nothing like that will ever happen here -- or anywhere else."

Eric was alone in the office when Abe arrived later with the paperwork for the donors. Nicole returned but stopped outside to listen when she heard Abe's voice. Abe asserted that if Vargas turned out to be a success story, it could really help. "I just need to get something right," Eric maintained. Abe pointed out that Vargas was a test case. "The success of this project hinges on him," Abe added.

After Abe left, Nicole returned to the office, and Eric asked her to fetch Vargas. Nicole asked why. "Because I need him," Eric replied. Nicole blurted, "No, you don't. You don't need him for anything. Don't you understand that?" Eric asked what she'd meant, and Nicole maintained, "You can't trust him. He's not who you think."

Kate visited a gun shop, where the proprietor showed her one of the store's popular models. "It fits in your purse, gives you maximum protection," the man said. "You take credit cards?" Kate asked.

Nick was trying to figure out how to grow Vargas' money when Rafe called. Rafe asked if Nick could meet at the coffeehouse, but Nick said that he was busy. When Rafe offered to go over to the mansion instead, Nick agreed to join Rafe in a few minutes.

When Nick arrived at Common Grounds, Rafe revealed that he had recently spoken to Gabi -- who had been upset because of Nick. Nick hedged, and Rafe called him on it. "Gabi is my world. I'm doing everything I can to protect her," Nick maintained. "Protect her from what?" Rafe wanted to know, and Nick covered that it was just an expression. Rafe noted that it seemed as if Gabi felt caught between Nick and Will, because Nick didn't want Will spending time with his own child.

"Why are you so damn protective of Will?" Nick demanded, pointing out, "I'm married to Gabi. I'm your brother-in-law. I'm the one who's going to be raising your niece. What is Will to you, anyway? He's just a…" Nick stopped himself, but Rafe caught the slip and asked what Nick had meant to say. Nick asserted that Will's actions regarding Gabi's pregnancy showed that he wasn't a good person, but Rafe didn't buy it.

Kate walked in, carrying a gift bag, just as Rafe was asserting that Nick should be looking after Gabi instead of wasting time and energy trying to get Will out of the picture -- which was only hurting Gabi. "She comes first. Don't mess this up," Rafe said firmly. Nick huffily declared that he didn't understand why Rafe refused to believe that Nick would never do that.

After Nick stormed out, Kate joined Rafe. Rafe began telling her about the conversation with Nick, but a text message from the station interrupted them. As Rafe left, he asked about the gift bag, and Kate explained that it was a gift for her. After the door closed behind Rafe, Kate called Sami.

Quickly examining the cash that had fallen out of Sami's purse, E.J. concluded that it was about thirty thousand dollars. He asked Sami about it. "It's Nick's. I stole it," Sami confessed sheepishly. She explained that when she'd found it in Nick's room, she'd taken it impulsively. E.J. predicted that Nick would "go nuts" when he found out that the money was missing. Sami volunteered to sneak back in and return the money, but E.J. urged her not to.

E.J. seemed miffed as he segued into questioning Sami about her foray to the strip club. Sami protested that it had been for a good cause. E.J. was grateful that so many people had been willing to help Cameron, but he wondered if Sami hadn't told him about the evening because Rafe had been one of the strippers. Sami playfully pointed out that she knew better than to believe that E.J. was jealous, and reassured him that she only had eyes for him.

Sami revealed that, at the club, Rafe had learned about her and E.J.'s engagement. E.J. asked how Rafe had taken the news. Sami asserted that she hadn't noticed because she had been too busy sending text messages to her fiancé, begging him to return home. E.J. thought that the best way to deal with the purloined money for the time being was to put it aside and wait and see what happened.

A phone call from Kate intruded on an intimate moment between Sami and E.J. Kate asked if she could drop by Sami's office in a few minutes about a personal matter. After Sami hung up, E.J. offered to stick around when Kate showed up, but Sami declined. She giggled as E.J. teasingly danced out of the room.

Rafe was in the square a little later when E.J. ran into him, seemingly by chance. E.J. facetiously apologized for not learning about the charity venture at the strip club before making other plans. He teased Rafe about all the pictures of him online. Rafe admitted, "I gotta tell you, this whole thing was a real ego boost for me, though. I mean, people raving about my performance -- especially your fiancée. She was a real wildcat, that one. I mean, no one was cheering louder than her."

As Rafe started to walk off, E.J. stopped him to talk to him about a couple of things. First, E.J. sincerely thanked Rafe for what he'd done to help Cameron. Rafe asked what the other thing was. "Samantha," E.J. replied.

When Nick returned to his room, he called to inquire about making an investment: "Can I do that online? Maximum fifteen hundred… And what if I did it in person? Really? And cash?" Nick agreed that he didn't want to lose his deposit, and promised to be in by the close of business that day with the rest of the money. After he hung up, Nick opened his briefcase -- and was horrified to discover that the money was gone.

Sami had just realized that she had left the envelope of cash out on her desk when Kate entered. Sami casually placed the envelope in her inbox as Kate sat down across the desk. "Why did you want to see me so urgently?" Sami asked. Kate offered her sarcastic congratulations on Sami's engagement. Observing Sami's tasteful ring, Kate feigned disappointment for Sami: "Oh, I'm so sorry -- no overstatement DiMera diamond?"

Sami guessed that the only reason Kate would ever be happy about Sami's engagement was that it would keep her away from Kate's sons. Kate agreed that Lucas couldn't stand the sight of Sami any longer. After Kate remarked that Sami and E.J.'s marriage would likely end in disaster, Sami began, "Just because you don't have anyone in your life --"

Kate interrupted, "Sami, why on earth would you think that I don't have anyone in my life?" Sami pointed out that if Kate were involved with someone, she would have sent out a press release, or at the very least, she would be lording it over Stefano. "So obviously you're here because you're bored and…hard up," Sami asserted. Kate explained her presence by placing the gift bag on Sami's desk and urging her to open it.

As Kate slipped a wooden box tied with a colorful ribbon out of the bag, Sami insisted that she didn't want anything from Kate. Kate accused her of being ungracious, so Sami grudgingly opened the box -- and found a gun inside.

At a fancy restaurant, Cameron received a phone call from the strip club, interrupting his romantic date with Abigail. Cameron insisted that he couldn't work that night.

After ending the call, Cameron apologized for the interruption. Abigail claimed that she understood, but Cameron could tell that the call had bothered her. Abigail reluctantly admitted that she felt insecure about the fact that she was much less experienced than the women who were throwing themselves at Cameron on a regular basis at the strip club.

Cameron assured Abigail that he didn't want to be with any other woman, but he could tell that she wasn't entirely convinced. Cameron grabbed his phone and called the strip club. "Hello? Yeah, it's me again. No, I'm not coming in. I wanted to give you a heads-up -- I won't be coming in anymore. I'm done. No, I'm serious. It's final. I'm -- I'm out of the dancing game," Cameron informed the strip club employee, stunning Abigail.

When Cameron ended the call, Abigail insisted that he needed to call the strip club back and revoke his resignation right away. Cameron assured Abigail that he would be fine, adding that he was certain that he could find a better way to earn the money that he would need to clear the final portion of the debt, which would soon be completely paid off. Cameron added that Abigail's feelings were his main concern.

Later, outside the Horton house, Abigail invited Cameron to join her inside, but he said that he had an early shift at the hospital the following day. Cameron passionately kissed Abigail before walking away.

At St. Luke's, Eric wondered if Vargas had somehow hurt Nicole. Nicole shook her head and assured Eric that everything that had happened between her and Vargas had been completely consensual, adding that they had only kissed each other. Seemingly uncomfortable, Eric urged Nicole to stick to the facts that were relevant to her earlier claim that he didn't know who Vargas really was.

Nicole suggested that Vargas might be taking advantage of Eric, who wondered what had caused her to reach that conclusion. Silently recalling Vargas' earlier threat, Nicole vaguely stated that she simply had a bad feeling about him, but Eric continued to probe her for additional information. Reasoning that she had already humiliated herself and had nothing left to lose, Nicole decided to ignore Vargas' warning and tell Eric the truth.

Before Nicole could continue, Brady entered the room and asked to talk to Eric privately. Eric wanted to finish his conversation with Nicole first, but she encouraged him to talk to Brady, claiming that she didn't really have anything important to say anyway. Eric had agreed to listen to a parishioner's confession earlier, so he arranged to meet Brady at the pub afterward.

After Eric left, Nicole congratulated Brady on his engagement. Brady braced himself for a lecture, but Nicole insisted that she was being sincere, reminding him that Kristen had forgiven her for trying to frame Kristen a few months earlier. Still skeptical, Brady knowingly encouraged Nicole to simply ask him for whatever it was that she was trying to ask him for.

Nicole closed the office door and explained that she needed Brady to discreetly investigate Vargas. Nicole told Brady that she was worried that Vargas might be using Eric, unaware that Vargas was standing in the hallway, eavesdropping on the conversation. After agreeing to help Nicole, Brady excused himself. A short time later, Vargas entered the room and slammed the door to announce his presence.

Feigning innocence, Vargas apologized for startling Nicole, but she wasn't fooled. Nicole guessed that Vargas had overheard her earlier conversation with Brady, and she wondered if he was going to push her up against a wall and start punching her. Vargas insisted that he wasn't that kind of guy, but she refused to believe him. Nicole reminded Vargas that she had overheard one of his earlier conversations and knew exactly who he was.

Vargas challenged Nicole to name the specific misdeeds that she had learned that he was participating in, knowing that she would not be able to do so. Vargas claimed that he would never hurt Eric, but Nicole wasn't convinced. Nicole started to leave, but Vargas grabbed her wrist and picked up the receiver of a nearby phone, ordering her to call Brady and rescind her earlier request. Vargas warned that if Nicole didn't cooperate, he would tell Eric about her dirty little secret.

At the Brady Pub, Brady and Eric discussed Brady's pending nuptials. Brady said that he had always thought of Eric as a brother, and Eric returned the sentiment. Brady invited Eric to attend the wedding, stressing that Eric wouldn't be expected to officiate the ceremony or act as a best man. The request surprised Eric, who asked for some time to think about the offer, since his attendance could complicate things.

Brady said that he understood, and Eric excused himself so that he could say hello to Caroline. Meanwhile, Brady received a phone call from Nicole, who told him that she had changed her mind about the Vargas investigation. Nicole said that she had decided that she needed to trust that Eric would be able to handle the situation himself. Brady agreed to forget about Nicole's earlier request.

Back at St. Luke's, Vargas warned that if anyone else started to ask questions about his activities, he would know exactly who the mole was, and he would have some very interesting stories to share with Eric. Vargas started to leave, but Nicole stopped him. "Simple warning, Vargas -- you do anything to hurt Eric, and your happy little place at the rectory will be over. I repeat -- you can tattletale all you want, but I will bring you down. I will make it happen," Nicole vowed.

At the Horton Town Square, Rafe observed that E.J. seemed to be a bit freaked out about the fact that Rafe and Sami had talked to each other at the strip club the previous night. E.J. laughed and claimed that Rafe had completely misinterpreted the situation. "Am I? Okay, well, listen -- just so you don't misinterpret, I'm gonna tell you the exact same thing that I told her, which is, uh, I'm done. I'm out. I am gone for good. If hell freezes over, I still want nothing to do with Sami Brady," Rafe asserted, but E.J. wasn't convinced.

Changing the subject, E.J. wondered when Rafe was going to give Johnny a new FBI jacket. E.J. guessed that Rafe didn't want Johnny, who asked about the jacket every single day, to start to think that Rafe's promises were meaningless. Rafe told E.J. to leave Johnny and Sydney out of the conversation, but E.J. said that he couldn't do that, since the kids loved and admired Rafe.

E.J. warned that making him look like a bad guy in Johnny's eyes would be a bad idea. Rafe suspected that Johnny would be able to figure out that E.J. was a bad guy on his own. After the men traded a few more insults, Rafe started to walk away, but E.J. stopped him and reiterated that Johnny wanted a new FBI jacket. Rafe noncommittally stated that he would be in touch.

In Nick and Gabi's room at the Kiriakis mansion, Nick panicked when he discovered that Vargas' money was missing. Nick frantically searched for the cash, tearing the room apart in the process. After a few moments, Nick abandoned the search and paused to catch his breath. "Somebody was here. They stole it. And now they're gonna pay," Nick muttered.

Nick went downstairs and found Maggie and Gabi in the living room, browsing through some of the pictures that Maggie had taken during Sami, Lucas, and Allie's earlier visit. Nick grew suspicious when he realized that Sami wasn't in any of the images. After learning that Sami had stayed in the mansion to eat a snack while Lucas, Allie, and Maggie had strolled through the garden, Nick abruptly excused himself, vaguely stating that he had something important that he needed to take care of right away.

Later, Rafe arrived at the mansion. Rafe tried to tell Gabi about his earlier encounter with Nick, but she insisted that she didn't want to hear any complaints about her husband, whom she claimed had never been anything less than completely wonderful to her. Rafe was skeptical, recalling that Gabi had recently told him that Nick had done something that had upset her, but she refused to talk about it, dismissively stating that it was ancient history.

Still skeptical, Rafe wondered why Gabi's wonderful husband wasn't with her at the mansion. Gabi claimed that Nick was running some errands, and she abruptly changed the subject, observing that Rafe had been putting too much pressure on Nick lately. Rafe countered that Nick was the one who was putting pressure on himself, as well as on Gabi.

Gabi asserted that things were going to get better once the baby was born, but Rafe assured her that the pressure was only going to get worse at that point. Annoyed, Gabi defensively stated that she and Nick would find a way to handle the stress. Unconvinced, Rafe changed the subject, explaining that Nick had tensed up the moment that Rafe had mentioned Will's name earlier. Rafe said that wasn't a good sign at all.

Gabi insisted that things between Nick and Will would also get better once the baby was born. "Gabi, did it -- did it ever occur to you that maybe Nick's not giving you the whole story on Will?" Rafe asked, but before Gabi could respond, Maggie entered the room and offered them each a cup of tea, effectively ending the conversation. Later, after Rafe left, Gabi went to her bedroom and discovered that it was in complete disarray.

In Sami's office at Countess Wilhelmina, Sami stared at Kate's gift -- an eight-millimeter gun -- in disbelief, wondering if Kate had gone insane. "Sami, come on. You have to admit, it's the perfect gift for someone marrying into the DiMera family," Kate reasoned. Kate's cynicism alarmed Sami, who pointed out that Kate had once believed in things like romance, marriage, and true love.

Kate dryly stated that she wasn't even going to bother to challenge the delusion that Sami and E.J.'s relationship could be described as true love. Kate advised Sami to graciously accept the gift, adding that the gun had a child-safety lock that she expected Sami to use, since Allie was living at the DiMera mansion. Sami insisted that she didn't want the weapon.

"Sami, there are other people coming in and out of that house besides your precious E.J. And maybe you don't need to defend yourself against him -- not yet -- but there is Stefano, [and] there are his mistresses, and his minions, and the countless enemies that he has made over the years. Believe me, a woman needs to always protect herself," Kate warned Sami. Unfazed, Sami insisted that she didn't need protection from anyone.

Kate was certain that Sami would eventually learn to appreciate the gift that she had been given. Kate recalled that, during her stay at the DiMera mansion, she had found herself wishing for a bazooka, flamethrower, or grenade launcher nearly every single day. "Things tend to go wrong in that house. Get yourself an egg timer. See how long it takes," Kate suggested.

Sami reiterated that she didn't want the gun, but Kate refused to take it back. After advising Sami to refrain from shooting E.J. again, Kate exited the office. Later, Sami tucked the gun into one of the desk drawers, stuffed the money into her briefcase, and started to turn off her computer so that she could go home. Meanwhile, Nick entered the office, slamming the door behind him.

Nick demanded to know where his possession was, but Sami feigned ignorance. Nick wasn't fooled, and as he continued to yell at Sami, she discreetly started to open the drawer that she had tucked Kate's gift into. Meanwhile, Nick grabbed Sami's briefcase and tried to free it from her grip. Nick warned that things were going to get very ugly if Sami didn't return the item that she had stolen right away.

As Sami and Nick continued to struggle, E.J. charged into the room and pulled him away from her. Nick challenged E.J. to call security. "If you don't leave her alone, you're gonna wish I'd called security, Nick," E.J. warned. Nick desperately begged Sami to return the stolen item, but she continued to feign ignorance, and E.J. shoved Nick out of the office. After Nick left, Sami hugged E.J. tightly and assured him that she was fine.

After hearing a recap of the events that had occurred before he had arrived, E.J. assured Sami that Nick had no real proof that she was the person who had his money, adding that Nick was simply desperate. Sami believed that Nick's desperation could make him more dangerous, but E.J. reminded her that Nick would soon cease to be an issue. E.J. had a meeting that he had to attend later that night, so he offered to get a security guard to escort Sami back to the mansion, but she declined the offer. E.J. left the office, and Sami quickly retrieved the gun from her desk drawer.

In a secluded section of the town square, Kate ran into Stefano, who noted with interest that she was alone. Kate wondered where Cecily was, and Stefano replied that Cecily would be returning to Salem in the near future. Stefano asked about Kate's new beau, but she feigned ignorance. "Oh, come on. You don't think you can keep something like that away from me, do you? Oh, my dear. You are always behind the curve," Stefano said with a laugh.

Later, at a restaurant in an undisclosed location, Rafe wondered why Kate had chosen such a remote place for their dinner date. Kate didn't respond, and Rafe urged her to tell him what was wrong. "You already know. I'm going to tell you anyway. This thing we've had for the last few months is over," Kate regretfully stated.

On her way home, Sami noticed that Stefano and an unidentified man were headed toward a secluded section of the town square. Curious, Sami discreetly followed them. Meanwhile, E.J. met with someone in an undisclosed location. "Well, I can imagine my call came as something of a surprise to you, so I will get straight to the point. I need your help with a rather delicate matter. Over the next few months, I'm intending on bringing about the complete and total destruction of Stefano DiMera," E.J. informed the person.

At an out-of-the-way restaurant, Kate informed Rafe that their relationship was over. When she wouldn't tell him why, Rafe immediately deduced that Stefano was the reason. Kate maintained that Stefano hadn't factored into her decision. "It's just that we've been together for a while now, and frankly, it got a little serious, and I just never wanted anything like that, so I'm ending it," Kate explained. Rafe declared that he didn't buy it for a second.

Kate asserted that regardless, Rafe was going to have to accept it. Rafe wanted more of an explanation, so Kate claimed that their involvement was getting in the way of certain goals because he was too much of a distraction. "Sooner or later, didn't you know this day would come?" Kate asked. She pointed out that it was better to end things civilly than to have it end badly with one of them brokenhearted.

Rafe made a remark about the clinical nature of the breakup, but he hoped that they could remain friends. Although Kate admitted that she had never thought of them as friends, she agreed, so they shook hands. Rafe leaned across the table to kiss Kate's hand, then left without another word. Kate's eyes filled with tears as she watched him go. "Damn you, Stefano. Damn you," she whispered.

Sami tailed Officer Bernardi, Stefano's dirty cop, to the park, and eavesdropped while Stefano asked Bernardi to retrieve all of the evidence from E.J.'s shooting. "I hate to say this, Mr. DiMera, but I can't do it," Bernardi said reluctantly. Stefano warned the cop about what happened to people who said "no" to him. Bernardi explained that the evidence in cases that had been closed for longer than four years went into a secure lockup -- but, with a gulp, he added that he would try to pull a few strings to get inside somehow.

Bernardi clarified, "So you want me to find the file on your son's shooting and then destroy everything in the box, right?" Stefano replied, "Wrong. I want you to destroy nothing." On the other side of the gate, a puzzled Sami's brow furrowed. Bernardi wanted to know why, but Stefano growled that it was none of the cop's concern. "You get all the evidence that is in that box -- all of it -- and you bring it to me," Stefano ordered. Bernardi agreed.

After Stefano and the cop had gone, Sami wondered aloud, "Stefano DiMera, what are you up to now?"

At Common Grounds, Sonny was eager to start celebrating. Although Will thought it was a little premature, he acknowledged that it had been a good day: Stefano had agreed to get rid of the evidence against Will, and Sonny and Sami had deleted the recording of Will's confession off of Nick's computer and the backup drive. "Tomorrow is going to be an amazing day," Sonny declared -- just as Adrienne walked in and overheard. "Why's that? What's happening tomorrow?" Adrienne asked.

Sonny and Will insisted that there was nothing special about the next day. When Will had to step away to take a phone call from a study partner, Sonny thanked his mom for helping while he and Sami had sneaked into Nick and Gabi's room. Sonny added that it looked like everything was going to work out, and Adrienne wanted to know what that meant. Sonny couldn't answer that, so Adrienne made him promise to tell her as soon as he could.

Sonny remembered that his parents were supposed to have dinner plans that night. Adrienne explained that Justin had been called into a "very mysterious meeting."

Will had returned and was discussing baby clothes with Adrienne when Sami arrived a little later. Sami and Adrienne greeted each other coolly. Will and Sonny went to the counter to get lattes for their moms. Sami thanked Adrienne for helping out earlier. Adrienne pointed out that she still didn't know what they had been doing, but she knew Sami wasn't going to tell her. Adrienne suggested that the two of them call a truce, and Sami concurred that she was willing to try. As Sami extended her hand for Adrienne to shake, Adrienne noticed the engagement ring on Sami's other hand.

"Oh, my God, it's true. You're crawling right back into E.J.'s bed," Adrienne blurted and then quickly apologized. Sami shrugged it off, noting that she didn't really care what Adrienne thought. Will and Sonny returned before Adrienne could put her foot in her mouth again. Adrienne asked why Sonny hadn't told her that Sami and E.J. were getting married again. Sami thanked Sonny for his discretion, but assured him that he didn't need to worry about it any longer. "Now that your mom knows, everyone will," Sami added sweetly.

When Sami pulled Will aside, Sonny chided his mom for not even trying to be nice to Sami. "It's not like she's marrying Jack the Ripper," Sonny hissed. "Well, come on -- she is, isn't she? Or at least Lord Voldemort?" Adrienne asserted. Meanwhile, Sami informed Will that she had just overheard Stefano instructing the cop on his payroll to get the evidence. Will was glad that he would soon be off the hook, but not about Stefano being involved. Sami urged him to relax because they had no reason to believe that Stefano wouldn't fulfill his promise.

In Nick and Gabi's room at the Kiriakis mansion, Gabi gave Nick one chance to explain why he'd been behaving so strangely and why he'd torn their room apart -- or she was going to leave him. Nick lied that he had lost a flash drive on which he'd stored all of his work for the project for Kate, including the formula he'd created, and his backup had crashed. He produced a drive from his pocket and claimed that he'd left it at the office.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Gabi demanded. Nick said that he hadn't wanted to add to her stress. Gabi wanted to know if he intended to continue shutting her out. Nick admitted that he had been wrong and promised that they would talk more. He suggested that they talk while they went out for something to eat.

In Justin's office, E.J. explained the reason for his phone call: "Over the course the next few months, I'm intending on bringing about the complete and total destruction of Stefano DiMera." Justin laughed so hard that he finally had to take out a handkerchief to wipe tears from his eyes, but he soon realized that E.J. was serious. E.J. explained that he intended to dismantle DiMera Enterprises and its subsidiaries and place them all under his control by mid-summer.

"You do realize that you're telling this to a Kiriakis," Justin pointed out. E.J. assured him, "Yes, but I believe that I have found precisely the right person to help me." He explained that all of the attorneys who worked for him had ties to his father. "And if there were to be a leak…" E.J. began, and Justin concluded, "If a Kiriakis is handling the paperwork, then it must be a Kiriakis project, and no one would ever point towards you."

Justin asked why he should even consider helping E.J. "Just imagine being the Kiriakis who helped to take down the great Stefano DiMera. I think that's too exciting an opportunity for you to turn down, don't you?" E.J. noted. Justin guessed that E.J. hadn't forgiven his father for disowning him, and E.J. affirmed that he never would. Producing some paperwork for Justin to read to help him make up his mind, E.J. said that he hoped for an answer by the next morning.

After E.J. assured him that there was nothing illegal involved, Justin asked if E.J. were sure he wanted to go through with it. "Your father tends to chew up enemies and spit them out very dead. If he ever gets wind of this…" Justin worried, but E.J. maintained that his father was a bit distracted at that time. "If I play my cards right and I have the right talented people helping me, he will not even see this coming," E.J. predicted.

After E.J. had gone, Adrienne called Justin to ask about dinner. Completely focused on the papers from E.J., Justin distractedly told his wife to meet him at home and they would get something to eat there. As he hung up the phone, Justin found something in the papers that pleased him. "E.J., you just might pull this off," Justin declared.

Adrienne was in her pajamas when Justin returned to the Kiriakis mansion later. He apologized for ruining their plans, but she replied by suggesting that they head to their bedroom with some pizza to watch television. Adrienne noticed that her husband seemed distracted and asked about his mysterious meeting. Justin replied that he couldn't talk about it -- but he would happily take her up on her offer.

While Justin poured a drink, Adrienne started talking about Sami and E.J., but then she noticed that Justin wasn't paying attention. Adrienne noted, "When some mysterious meeting sends you off into another world like this, it means it's really big. Which also means that it's either something you really, really dread, or something you're really, really excited about. So which is it?" Justin replied that he wasn't sure.

Sami was leaving the coffeehouse when Nick called her from Horton Square and asked her to return what she'd stolen from him. "I'm pretty sure that E.J. made it clear that you need to stay away from me. And so in case you happen to be in one of your delusional phases and you think I'm actually going to have a sympathy attack for you, why don't you take some time and remember what you did to my son?" Sami spat before abruptly hanging up.

As she walked off, Sami eyed the envelope full of Nick's cash in her purse and wondered aloud what Nick was doing with so much money.

Returning to the table, Nick delivered frozen yogurt and tamales to Gabi, who indulged her craving with gusto. Nick stared at her for so long that she wondered if she had something on her face. "Gabi, I just want you to know and remember that, no matter what happens, I'll always cherish every moment that we had together," Nick declared. "Nick, why are you talking like this?" Gabi asked.

Nick covered that he'd just been trying to be poetic but it had ended up sounding weird instead. He added that he was glad they had talked because he could see more clearly what was truly important. "And that's…?" Gabi asked. "You. Us. Always," Nick declared, stroking Gabi's belly.

As Nick and Gabi returned to their bedroom later, Gabi looked around the room with dismay. Nick assured her that he would be finished cleaning it up by the time she had changed into her pajamas. After Gabi left the room, Nick checked his phone and saw a text message from Vargas that read, "Hope you're taking good care of my money, Nicky."

Will was studying when Rafe arrived at Common Grounds. "Kate and I called things off tonight," Rafe informed Will, who admitted that he didn't know how to react. Rafe wanted to know what had happened with Will and Nick. Sonny arrived with Rafe's coffee before Will could answer. Rafe explained that he had asked Will about Nick, and Sonny understood that Rafe was only trying to look out for Gabi. "Who, by the way, hasn't been happy lately," Rafe noted. Rafe added that he had tried to talk to Nick earlier, and Nick had gotten very tense when Rafe had mentioned Will.

"So there's a major problem between you two?" Rafe asked. When Will and Sonny looked uncomfortable and wouldn't make eye contact, Rafe asked what the problem was. "I can't really get into it now," Will hedged. "Just tell me this, then. When you signed your rights away, was it because of the stuff that Sami was doing or was it something else?" Rafe asked gently. "Something," Will whispered, nodding. More or less satisfied, Rafe left.

Later, after closing the coffeehouse, Sonny urged Will to revel in the victory after destroying the confession. Will pointed out that he was superstitious, and Sonny acknowledged that Will was afraid of jinxing it by celebrating too soon. "I really hope it happens. I mean, can you imagine us having, like, a normal life together? No problems, no blackmailing, no threats, no anything?" Will mused. Sonny warned Will that Arianna Grace was going to be just like Sami, and Will burst out laughing. It made Sonny happy to hear Will laugh so hard.

Kate called Stefano and declared, "I'm not sure what you thought you knew, but whatever it was, it's over. Understood?" Chuckling, Stefano replied, "Katarina, what makes you think I even care?" Kate hung up on him.

As Rafe strolled through the square, he reflected on how Kate had tried to sneak out the morning after the first time they'd slept together. Meanwhile, Kate was also remembering sex with Rafe. "I'm sorry. I had to. But we sure were good," she whispered to herself.

Back at the DiMera mansion, E.J. raised his glass to the portrait of Stefano. "To the past -- all yours. And to the future -- all mine," E.J. toasted. Sami returned home just then and asked where Stefano was. E.J. replied that his father was upstairs videochatting with Cecily. When E.J. offered Sami a drink, she replied, "No, I do not want a drink, E.J.; I want you." She kissed him passionately.

As Sami and E.J. lay in bed a little while later, a pleased E.J. noted that Sami had been very enthusiastic. After assuring E.J. that her enthusiasm had been because of him, Sami relayed what she had witnessed earlier. "Obviously, Stefano just wants to have [the evidence] so he can have power over us," Sami reasoned. E.J. agreed that it did sound like his father, noting that the only person Stefano had ever really looked out for was Stefano.

"We gotta figure out what we're gonna do about that bastard," Sami declared. "Why don't you let me take care of that bastard?" E.J. replied. Sami rewarded him with a fervent kiss.